One big, important game for the Dallas Cowboys today. Last week was an unexpected surprise, a victory on the road against one of the better teams in the NFL. And one of our NFC East brethren. The expectations were that the Cowboys would play better under Jason Garrett, but the expectation to actually win under those circumstances was probably not on most fan's minds. Really, just to be competitive would have been a remarkable turnaround.
Then Jason Garrett and his team pulled off the shocker, and now the expectations are raised. If we can do that, against the Giants, then surely we can handle the 2-7 Lions at home. It may not be rational, considering the two months previous to that win when the Cowboys had spent their time looking like the Keystone Kops, but there it is - we expect this team to win now. You know what? That's probably just how Jason Garrett likes it. His style of coaching is to expect great things everyday, and I'm sure he thoroughly believes the Cowboys will win today.
This game is all about proving Dallas has turned the corner on the disaster that is the 2010 season. Against the Giants, Dallas had all the energy created by a coaching change, they had the motivation to prepare because they knew just how good the Giants were as a football team. They also had the NFC East rivalry buzz to help them along. This week, they have none of that. What they have is a 2-7 Detroit Lions team, admittedly an improved one, but still a bottom-tier team that has had a lousy run of things in recent history.
Don't fall asleep today, 'Boys. Lose this game, and you're back to square one in terms of improvement, and Jason Garrett loses ground in his quest to be the Cowboys permanent, not interim, head coach. Last week was about respectability and pride. This week is about consistency.
Or as Jason Garrett might say: Stack one great game on top of another.
ENJOY WITH ABSOLUT RESPONSIBILITY®